17 July 2026

Summer fun at Redwings 2026!

Photo of Shetland Pony Fred with visitors

Here at Redwings, we’ve got a variety of activities on offer this summer at our centres and even for you to take part in at home! There’s going to be lots of information in this blog so please take your time, especially when reading any terms and conditions and health and safety notices. Thank you...

Wiggins the donkey meeting visitors over a fence

Wiggins is excited to see you at Redwings Aylsham!

What’s happening at our Visitor Centres:

Adoption Star birthday parties

It’s party season here at Redwings! Many of our Adoption Stars have their birthdays in July and August. If you adopt a Redwings Adoption Star, you receive a special invitation to their birthday party, to join in with all the fun, but you can also find the party dates here and anyone us welcome to join us!

You can find out more about sponsoring our residents, for as little as £2 a month, and the fantastic perks that come with it here.

Learn from our experts

Our amazing horse care teams have the following fun activities planned for you:

Ada Cole - agenda here (PDF 508 KB)

Aylsham - agenda here (PDF 556 KB)

Caldecott - agenda here (PDF 597 KB)
(For more information on some of the paid activities at Caldecott please scroll to the bottom of this blog.)

The 3Fs trail

The 3Fs stands for ‘Food, Friends and Freedom’. It’s a simple and easy way to remember three very important needs when caring for horses, ponies and donkeys.

Because there are three themes, there will be three separate trails running over the course of the holidays and for each trail we need your help to find the answers scattered around our sites.

Friday 24th July - Monday 3rd August - Food trail

Friday 7th - Monday 17th August - Friends trail

Friday 21st - Monday 31st August - Freedom trail

If you would like to take part, head to your closest visitor centre (on or after Friday 24th July) and ask for a worksheet at the welcome desk. This activity costs £1 per worksheet.

Pickle the pony meeting visitors over a fence

Meet Pickle this summer holiday!

Get involved at home!

Take the Black Beauty Pledge today!

If you’re a young, UK-based animal enthusiast, the Black Beauty pledge is a fun and free way to show us how you can be kind to animals. Plus, there’s a chance to get some great Black Beauty-themed goodies in the process. Find out more here.

New writing competition

We’re excited to be working with our friends at the University of East Anglia (UEA) once again to bring you our summer 2026 writing competition. More details coming soon - watch this space!

Fundraise for us

Being 100% reliant on public donations to keep our herds happy and healthy and to improve the lives of horses and donkeys in the UK, we’re extremely grateful for your support.

With the long school break, the summer holidays are a great opportunity to plan and even carry out a fundraising activity! There are so many ways to support us and we can't wait to see what you come up with. If you're looking for inspiration, check out some of our previous fab fundraisers here.

Photo of children making enrichment boxes

Help our team make enrichment boxes for our residents!

Final notes and tips when visiting us this summer...

Please note our visitor centres are OPEN Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays but are CLOSED Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Head to the visit us page for all our up-to-date centre information.
We always recommend checking our website and social media channels (including checking our stories) before you travel in case of any changes to centre operations.
Please DO NOT feed our residents (this includes picking up any hay, grass or feed up off the floor and giving it to them) unless you have been given permission by a Redwings team member as part of an activity. Our residents are often on special diets, due to their health, weight or even teeth! Feeding them could risk making them poorly, and extra veterinary costs for us too. But, do give them a stroke, fuss or scratch – they'll love that!
If you have brought a food donation for our residents, please leave it by the welcome desk and our teams will distribute them. If you’d like to show your kindness to our residents, then you are very welcome to donate to Redwings (or treat yourself to something in our shop or cafe!) so your support can be used where it’s needed most. Thank you!
The needs of our residents must come first so there may occasionally be changes or cancellations to some advertised activities. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for understanding.
Please DO NOT climb the fences or open the gates of our paddocks.
Children must be accompanied AT ALL TIMES.
Our centres may be busier than usual, so there might be a slightly longer wait in our cafe – thank you for your patience!
Dogs on leads are very welcome at our sites but you may wish to consider leaving them at home if it's too hot. Under no circumstances leave them in your hot cars when you visit.

Most importantly, have fun!

Thank you #RedwingsAngels we can't wait to see you this summer!

*Paid pony grooming terms and conditions

This is a ticketed event available at Redwings Caldecott on select days only
You can only book on the day at the centre and this activity is subject to availability
It’s £5 per child for 10 minutes of grooming
A maximum of two children are allowed per grooming session
There are only six sessions available in the hour’s activity
Children aged five and above can take part
Closed toe footwear must be worn, or you will not be able to book or take part in this activity

*Paid enrichment boxes

This is activity is available at Redwings Caldecott on select days only
You can only book on the day at the centre and this activity is subject to availability
It costs £3 per box
A maximum of 20 boxes can be made in one session